1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lambstood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads
.

We are first told that the apostle John looked. This word looked is most often translated as saw, so we can say that John saw, and, lo, a lamb stood on the mount Sion. The word translated as lo is the word that is normally translated as behold, and it is here a command. It is a command to perceive or see what follows, which is that a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. Now the lamb obviously refers to Christ, and that he stood on the mount Sion is revealing that time in the past when Christ first began standing supreme over His kingdom through His atoning work as the sacrificial Lamb upon His resurrection and then exaltation to the right hand of the Father in heaven.

But what is this kingdom of God, mount Sion, that Christ, the Lamb, became the supreme ruler over? We begin to get an answer to this in Hebrews 12:

Heb 12:22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels
. . .

Here mount Sion is equated to being the heavenly Jerusalem, and, since we know that the heavenly Jerusalem is made up of the elect (see verse 2 of Revelation 21 Part 1
), so also must mount Sion be made up of the elect. This conclusion is further supported by Psalm 74:

In this verse, mount Sion is equated with being God's congregation, which [He] hast purchased, and which [He] hast redeemed. This congregation is obviously in reference to the elect, for it is the elect who have been purchased or redeemed through the atoning work of the Lamb. And, we read in Psalm 125,

Ps 125:1
They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever
.

In this verse, they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion. And, since it is only the elect who really trust in the Lord as a gift from the Lord (Eph. 2:8-9), it can only be they who shall be as mount Zion. Once again, we discover that it is the elect who are likened to mount Zion. So in that the Lamb stood on the mount Sion, this means that the Lamb stood above and over (on) the elect who are of mount Sion. This symbolizes that the Lamb has become the supreme ruler over the elect through His atoning work as the Lamb. He is the one who, as the Lamb, won the right to obtain a people for Himself
by having
paid for their sins in 33 AD
so that they could be translated from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of His dear Son, which kingdom is one and the same as mount Zion, the kingdom of God. Yes, mount Sion refers to the spiritual kingdom of God, which consists of the elect, who are ruled over by the Lamb, Jesus Christ, as He stood on mount Sion as the supreme ruler over them upon having completed His atoning work as the sacrificial Lamb in 33 AD
, and He continues to stand over them even to this day. This is the meaning of the word stood in the phrase stood on mount Sion. It is in the perfect tense and so reveals that Christ first stood on mount Sion in the past in 33 AD with the result that He continues to stand on mount Sion even to this day.

But, now, as we continue in our verse, we read, and with him [the Lamb] an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. Who are these one hundred and forty-four thousand who are with the Lamb who stood on mount Sion? In answer to this question, the first thing to notice is that these 144,000 have the Father's name written in their foreheads. This immediately reveals that these 144,000 are saved individuals, for in that they have the Father's name written in their foreheads is spiritual language that identifies them as being saved. They, of course, do not have the Father's name literally written in their foreheads, but, in a spiritual sense, they have His name on their foreheads because they are owned by the Father God in that they have all been saved to serve Him. Furthermore, we read in verse 4 of Revelation 14 about these 144,000:

4
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb
.

This declaration of the 144,000 being the first fruits is what reveals just who they really are: they are all those who were saved during the church age from Pentecost on May 22 of 33 AD to May 21, 1988. We know this because those who were saved within this period are referred to as first fruits. For instance, we read in James 1,

Jas 1:18
Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures
.

And, in 1Corinthians 16:15, we read,

1Co 16:15
I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints
. . .

And, finally, we read in Romans 16,

Ro 16:5
Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ
.

So what we have learned so far is that the 144,000 refer to saved people who were saved during the church age. I could go more into depth to show that this is the case by revealing the various harvests which took place throughout history, and then show that the spiritual harvest of souls beginning on Pentecost of 33 AD identifies with the harvest of first fruits, but I will leave it where it is for now. But, the next question is this: Is the 144,000 a literal amount of people saved during the church age? Of course not! The Bible is a spiritual book, and we must look for the spiritual meaning. So we must recognize that the number 144,000 breaks down to 12 x 12 x 1000. The number 12 is symbolic of the fullness of whatever is in view (see Meaning of Bible Number 12
), and the number 1000 is symbolic of the completeness of whatever is in view
(see
Meaning of Bible Number 10
). So by this we can see that the number 144,000 is not to be taken literally, but symbolic of the fullness of all those, however many they may be, who were saved during the church age. So the number 144,000 is not to be taken literally, but seen as a symbolic number which represents all those who were saved during the church age.

Verse 2:

2
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps
. . .

First of all, we are told that the apostle John heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters. Let's first define what the many waters are, and then perhaps we will be able to better understand what the voice of many waters is. We find the answer to this in Revelation 17 where we first read,

Re 17:1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters
. . .

And, then, we are told exactly what these many waters are on which the great whore sits:

Re 17:15
And he saith unto me, The waters from which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues
.

So now that we know that many waters can refer to peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, we can conclude that the voice which John heard from heaven, which was as the voice of many waters, was as the voice of peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. But whose voice can this be symbolizing? Since we are told that this voice came from heaven, we have our first clue. But it becomes obvious just whose voice came from heaven when we read the following verses:

Eze 43:2
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his [Christ's] voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory
.

Re 1:15
And his [Christ's] feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his [Christ's] voice as the sound of many waters
.

From these verses, it is clear that Christ's voice is like the sound of many waters. So this means that the voice from heaven that John heard as the voice of many waters was the voice of Christ Himself, and His voice can be likened to the voice of peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Next, we are told that this same voice from heaven, which was as the voice of many waters, which we learned is the voice of God, was also as the voice of a great thunder. This reveals that God's voice can not only be symbolized by the voice of many waters, which is as the voice of peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, but His voice can also be symbolized by thunder. We see this in other verses as well. For instance, we read in John 12,

John 12:28
Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again
.
29
The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him
.

And, again, in Revelation 6 we read,

Re 6:1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see
.

The four beasts here can be shown to represent the glory of God Himself as we shall see, so in that John heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beast saying, Come and see, he heard the very voice of God, and so we see once again that thunder can symbolize the voice of God. So we can conclude that the voice from heaven which John heard was the voice of God, which is likened to the voice of many waters, and the voice of a great thunder. It is as a great thunder because God is a great God.

But, next, we read, and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps. Harpers and harping have to do with the worship of God - we had learned this in verse 22 of Revelation 18 Part 3
. And, keeping to the context of which the 144,000 were with the Lamb who stood on mount Sion as we read in verse 1, these harpers appear to be these same 144,000; that is, all those who were saved during the church age, and in that they are described as harpers harping, this is symbolic of their being involved in the worship God.

Verse 3:

3
And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth
.

Now we read in this verse that the 144,000 - that is, all the elect saved during the church age - sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders. First of all, let's determine who the four beasts and the elders are, and then we will determine just what this new song is that the 144,000 sung before the throne, the four beasts and the elders. We first read of the four beasts in Revelation 4:

6
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind
.
7
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf [ox], and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle
.

These same beasts (better translated as living creatures) are described in Ezekiel 1:

10
As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle
.

What is so significant about the description in Ezekiel 1 is that we are told in the very last verse of Ezekiel 1 just what these four living creatures represent:

28
As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake
.

So, here it is where we learn that the 4 beasts (living creatures) are symbolic of the glory of the Lord Himself. We could say, then, that the 4 beasts represent God in His glory.

But, now, we want to determine who the elders are who the 144,000 sang a new song before. We can perhaps determine this by reading Revelation 5:8-9. There we read,

Re 5:
8
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints
.
9
And they [the 24 elders] sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation
. . .

Notice that the elders are here described as having been redeemed to God by [Christ's] blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. This reveals just who these elders are: they are the elect in heaven, for we know that they are the only ones who could be described as having been redeemed from all over the earth. In heaven they are called elders because they are ruling and reigning with Christ from the throne. And, they are described as 24 elders because 24 breaks down to 12+12, which represents the fullness of those saved during the Old Testament period, plus the fullness of those saved during the New Testament period (see Meaning of Bible Number 12
).

Now let's return to our verse. It says,

3
And they [the harpers] sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth
.

From what we have learned, we can now say that the harpers; that is, all those saved during the church age - the 144,000 - sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, which represent God, and before the elders, which represent all the elect in heaven who were saved during both the Old Testament and New Testament periods. But, now, we are brought to the question, what is the new song sung by all those who were saved during the church age? We can begin to see the answer to this question in Revelation 5 where we read once again,

9
And they [the 24 elders] sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation
. . .

Here the new song appears to be a song of praise to Christ for His salvation, for it says that all those in heaven who were saved during both the Old and New Testaments (the 24 elders) sung a new song, and then goes on to say that they were saying of Christ, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. We read of this new song of praise for salvation in other verses as well:

Ps 40:3
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD
.

And,

Ps 98:1
O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory
.
2
The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen
.

And,

Psalm 144:9
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee
.
10
It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword
.

So the new song is that song which the elect sing in praise to God for His having saved them. It is a song of praise to the Lord for having delivered them from hell and death, and having given them eternal life.

Now, we read that no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. Why is this? The answer is simply because only the elect who have been redeemed can learn the new song, for it is only they who have experienced salvation and so have received the new heart which is able to learn and sing the new song. If one has not received the new heart of salvation, then it is impossible to learn or sing the new song. All kinds of lyrics and songs can be learned and sung by humankind, but if they have not received the new heart of salvation, it is not possible to learn and sing the new song. This is the new song of praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord for having been saved, but if one has not truly been saved, it is impossible to learn and sing the new song, for the requirement to be able to learn and sing the new song is that one has received a new heart. So if one has not received a new heart by the hand of God alone, he cannot possibly learn the new song. Hence, no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

Verse 4:

4
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb
.

In this verse we are first told that These; that is, the 144,000 from the previous verse, are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. Spiritually speaking, this is just another way of saying that those who were saved during the church age (the 144,000) are sinless. But this does not mean that they were sinless in their bodies while still on earth, for the elect who were saved in this life still have sin in their bodies, but it means they were sinless - that is, virgins - in their new resurrected souls that they had received when they were saved, for it is only the new resurrected soul received at salvation in this life that is absolutely sinless. We read of this new resurrected soul in 1John 3:

1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God
.

Notice that whosoever is born of God [saved] doth not commit sin. In fact, he cannot sin. This is referring to the new soul that one receives upon being saved. This spiritual part of the saved person cannot sin; it is perfect. But, because saved people still have a sinful body while still in this life, they are not yet without sin until when on the Last Day they receive their new spiritual bodies; then they will be completely without sin in every respect. But for now, until that Last Day, the elect can only be said to be sinless in that their new resurrected souls which they possess due to having become saved are sinless. Indeed, in this sense, in the spiritual sense, none of the elect were defiled with women; for they are virgins. This is because they have been sinless in their souls ever since they were saved.

But there is another sense in which it could be said that those saved during the church age are virgins; that is, that they are sinless. This is in the sense that Christ paid for all their sins and covered them over with the robes of His righteousness. In this sense, although the elect may have sinned at various times even after being saved, their sin is not held against them in any way, for all their past, present, and future sins had been paid for and covered, so it is as if they had never sinned in the first place. And, for this reason, they can be called virgins. They have no sin to which they must give account, for all their sins have been accounted for and paid for by Christ, so it is as if they had never sinned even if they did sin.

Now we also read, These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. In other words, all the elect saved during the church age are said to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. This means they followed Him in keeping His commandments which included sending the gospel out into the world. They were willing to sacrifice their lives in that others would hear the gospel through their testimony and become saved, and they were willing to keep His commandments even though trials and persecutions surely had arisen as a result. We read of those who were saved during the church age in Revelation 12:

Re 12:11
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death
.

Finally, we are told that all those saved during the church age (the 144,000) were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. That they were redeemed from among men is something we had already surmised, and being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb we had previously concluded meant that they were saved during the church age which began at Pentecost in 33 AD and ended on May 21, 1988 when the church age came to an end. But, let's now take a closer look at the phrase first fruits. We read in Exodus 23,

Ex 23:16
And [thou shall keep] the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field
.

And, again, in Exodus 34 we read,

Ex 34:22
And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end
.

In both these verses we find that there were two harvest feasts which were to be observed: the feast of harvest (or the feast of weeks) and the feast of ingathering. The feast of harvest, also referred to as feast of weeks, was to be kept at the beginning of the harvest year while the feast of ingathering was to be kept at the end of the harvest year. The feast of weeks is identified with the first fruits of the wheat harvest, which was a picture of the first fruits of souls that would be brought into the kingdom during the church age from Pentecost on May 22 of 33 AD to May 21, 1988 while the feast of ingathering is identified with the latter fruits, which was a picture of the latter fruits of souls that would be brought into the kingdom during the latter rain from September 7, 1994 to May 21, 2011. So in that the 144,000 are described in our verse as being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb, we know that the 144,000 represents all the souls that were saved during the church age because the church age identifies with the first fruits of the harvest of souls.

Now, before leaving this verse, we might ask the question, why are the 144,000 described as being unto God and to the Lamb? Does this mean that God and the Lamb who we know is Jesus Christ are two different persons, and so Christ cannot possibly be God? Of course not! We who are truly in Christ know that God and Christ can be two separate persons and yet still be the same God because the one and only God reveals Himself in scripture as a Trinity (see God reveals Himself as a Trinity
).

Verse 5:

5
And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God
.

Here we are told that in their mouth; that is, in the mouth of the 144,000, which 144,000 we learned represents all those who were saved during the church age, was found no guile. Guile has to do with lies or deceit, so we are being told here that in the mouth of all those who were saved during the church age, there was found no lies or deceit.

Now does this mean that all those saved during the church age never said a lie or anything deceitful? The answer is yes in one respect and no in another. The answer is yes when these saved people are viewed from the perspective of their new resurrected souls that they received upon having been saved. These new souls are perfect and have no sin, so it is impossible that they could speak lies and deceit. This is the point that is being made by this scripture: that in their mouth was found no guile, lies, or deceit because this is viewing these saved people from the perspective of their new resurrected souls, which are sinless. It is the same perspective in which Jesus viewed the man Nathanael as recorded in John 1:47. There we read,

Joh 1:47
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile
!

Here Jesus saw Nathanael from the perspective of his saved soul. It is perfect and without sin, so Jesus could say of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. But, if Jesus had viewed Nathanael from the perspective of his body, then Jesus would not be able to say that Nathanael was without guile. This is because Nathanael's body was not yet without sin. His soul was made to be without sin when he was saved, but his body will not be made to be without sin until the Last Day. Likewise, when scripture says, And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God, this is looking at all those who had been saved during the church age from the perspective of their new resurrected and perfect souls. From this perspective, these saved people have no sin, and so it can be said that they have no guile as well as that they are without fault before the throne of God. But, if they were looked upon from the perspective of their bodies, it could not be said that they are without sin, and so without any guile. This is because their bodies were not yet without sin, for their bodies will not be made to be without sin until the Last Day of this world when they will be given new bodies.

Now, before leaving this verse, there is another reason as to why all those who were saved during the church age could be said to have no guile in their mouth and be without fault before the throne of God. This reason has to do with Christ having paid for all their sins. Because Christ paid for all their sins, it is as if they had never sinned even if they did because no sin can be held against them; they are, then, without fault before the throne of God, and, as such, there was found no guile in their mouth because the slate was wiped clean. In this respect, even if they sinned while on this earth, God did not see their sin unto condemnation because all their sins - past, present, and future - had been paid for so that it was as if they had never sinned even though they likely did sin in body.

Verse 6:

6
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people
. . .

In this verse John says, And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven. In saying that [he] saw another angel, we wonder just who was the previous angel to this another angel. The whole first few verses were a picture of Jesus as the Lamb having won the right to rule over all those who were saved during the church age through His sacrificial death, and these same elect sang a new song before the throne, the beasts, and the elders. We don't read of any other angel that would be previous to another angel here mentioned in these verses. So who is the missing angel? Once we remember that the word angel can be translated as messenger, then we realize that either one of the elect or Christ Himself who were both mentioned in the previous verses could be the messenger that we are looking for. But which one is it? We cannot say for sure; it could be Christ, or it could be one of the elect saved during the church age - one of the 144,000. But, with respect to the rest of the angels mentioned in Revelation 14 (verses 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 18), they are each involved in judgment, and there are exactly seven of them. This is interesting because the number 7 is symbolic of the complete perfection of whatever is in view (see Meaning of Bible Number 7
), and what is in view are the 7 angels who are involved in judgment. So we can say that the 7 angels who are involved in judgment represent the complete perfection of angels involved in judgment, and we know that the complete perfection of angels is Jesus Christ Himself. We can say, then, that the 7 angels who are involved in judgment in Revelation 14 (verse 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 18) are each a representation of Christ Himself.

Now returning to our verse, it reads,

6
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people
. . .

We have just learned that the angel which John must have seen is Christ Himself, but why is this angel (Christ) said to fly in the midst of heaven? The midst of heaven is the highest point of heaven, which the sun occupies at noon, where what is done can be seen and heard by everyone. So to fly in the midst of heaven is to be in a place where everyone can see and hear what is to be done, and, in this case, what is to be done is to preach the everlasting gospel unto them that dwell on the earth. Now since the church age from May 22 of 33 AD to May 21, 1988 in which the elect were saved was already discussed in the first few verses of Revelation 14 wherein Christ stood on Mount Sion, and those saved during this period sang a new song, this cannot be referring to the church age, but it must be referring to the next period of time in which the everlasting gospel was preached to the whole world, namely the period of time known as the latter rain from September 7, 1994 to May 21, 2011. This is the period of time when Christ did fly in the midst of heaven in order to preach the gospel through His elect to the world outside of the churches. At this time, the churches had already come under the judgment of God, and the elect were being commanded to leave the churches (see Why Leave All Churches?
), and the Lord used His elect to evangelize the world separate and apart from the churches. And, it was during this time when a great multitude, which no man could number, was saved.

Now we read that the everlasting gospel during this latter rain was to be preached to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. There are four listings: to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. The number 4 is symbolic of worldwide or universality, so this is just emphasizing that the gospel was to be preached to the whole world, which it was. If you will remember, it was on bill boards around the world; it was in newspapers, on radio shows, on television, on cars and buses, on balloons, on tracts. It just flew around the world as Christ flew in the midst of heaven. It was being proclaimed virtually everywhere that judgment day would begin on May 21, 2011, and that people needed to earnestly seek God for their salvation before judgment day would begin because after that date, it would be too late. Indeed, never before in history, was the gospel so widely proclaimed.

Verse 7:

7
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters
.

Now, we find that the angel, who we learned is Christ, is saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come. The word hour in the phrase the hour of his judgment has come immediately reveals what time period this hour of his judgment refers to: it refers to the great tribulation period from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011 when judgment came upon the house of God (the churches) because we know that this period of judgment is symbolized by the word hour in the Bible. For instance, we read in Revelation 17,

Re 17:12
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast
.

As we had learned in Revelation 17
, the ten kings symbolize the complete rule of Satan during the one hour period, which we had learned is the entire great tribulation period from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011. Also, we had learned the same thing in
Revelation 18 Part 2
, namely that the one hour period refers to the great tribulation period. We read of this one hour period three times in
Revelation 18
as can be seen in the following verses. First, we read in Revelation 18:10,

Re 18:10
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come
.

Next, we read in Revelation 18 verse 17,

Re 18:17
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off
. . .

And, finally, we read in Revelation 18 verse 19,

Re 18:19
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate
.

In each one of these verses, the one hour period is that period of time from when judgment first began on the churches on May 21, 1988 to when judgment came upon the entire world on May 21, 2011. This is that one hour of time after which all of Babylon (the entire world, the whole kingdom of Satan) had come under judgment as each of the previous verses declared. Remember what they said? They said, for in one hour is thy judgment come (verse 10); for in one hour so great riches is come to nought (verse 17); and for in one hour is she made desolate (verse 19). These are all saying that after the one hour, which is the great tribulation period from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011, Babylon the Great; that is, the entire world, which is the kingdom of Satan, came under the judgment of God. The door to heaven was closed forever; the Holy Spirit would never again draw someone unto salvation. The Day of Judgment had come.

But, now, let's return to the first part of our verse, which reads,

7
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come
. . .

We now know that the time period in which this verse is being voiced was during the great tribulation period from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011, for this is when the hour of his judgment [had] come. So this verse was commanding everyone to fear God, and give glory to him during the great tribulation period because this is when His judgment had first come upon the churches throughout the world, for the time [had] come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1Peter 4:17-18). Indeed, in that judgment had begun with the churches, it was a time to fear God, and give glory to Him like never before in history. The Holy Spirit had been removed from all the churches so that no one was being saved in the churches, and few, if any, were being saved out in the world until the latter rain began on September 7, 1994 when the Lord began to save a great multitude separate and apart from the churches, for the churches had become without life, and now the only hope for anyone was out in the world where the Holy Spirit was working to bring in the last harvest of souls before May 21, 2011 when the harvest of all souls would come to an end, and the same judgment which rested upon the churches would come to rest upon the entire world, which meant no more salvation possible for anyone forevermore. Yes, it was a time to Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment [had] come, and, soon, all hope for salvation would be lost. Therefore, people were encouraged to seek the Lord before it be too late. As Christ stated,

Joh 9:4
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh [on May 21, 2011], when no man can work
[salvation comes to an end]
.

But, if the great tribulation period was a time to fear God, and give glory to him while it was still day for a little longer out in the world, it was also a time to worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. The heaven refers the expanse above where the birds fly and the clouds form, as well as outer space where the stars shine. The earth, on the other hand, refers to all land masses as well as the people on them. For instance, we read in Psalm 97,

Now how can the earth rejoice unless the earth here is referring to the people of the earth? And, again, we read in Psalm 98,

Ps 98:4
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise
.

Obviously, all the earth is referring to the people of the earth; otherwise, how could the earth make a joyful noise unto the Lord, and rejoice, and sing praise? So the earth does not just refer to all the land masses on the planet, but it also refers to the people on the earth. Likewise, the sea does not just refer to the oceans, but it also refers to the peoples of the world as we can see in Psalm 98:7 where it reads,

Ps 98:7
Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein
.

Here the sea and the fullness thereof are equated with the world and they that dwell therein. Therefore, the sea is identified with the peoples who dwell in the world. And, again, in Isaiah 57:20 we read,

Isa 57:20
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt
.

Here, again, the sea is being equated with people. So the sea does not just refer to the oceans of the world, but it also refers to the peoples of the world.

Now there is one more thing to consider that God made, and that is the fountains of waters. This is clearly parabolic language, and it has to do with the gospel waters. We read in John 7,

Joh 7:38
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water
.

Also, we read in John 4,

Joh 4:14
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life
.

Clearly, then, the fountains of waters refers to all the people from which the waters of the gospel spring up for the spiritual nourishment of the world. God made them all. In fact, as we have leaned, God made the heaven, which is the sky and outer space with all its wonders; God made the earth and all the peoples which dwell thereon; God made the sea, which is also symbolic of the peoples of the world; and God made the fountains of waters, which are all the peoples from which the gospel of salvation once went forth during the church age and during the great tribulation period. So let's worship Him and give Him praise, for as of May 21, 2011 He has saved all His elect, and it is now but a little longer when we, His elect, will be changed into our new bodies, which are sinless, and we shall dwell with Him forevermore.

Now may the "LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
"